Erik Valdez (born Russell Erik Valdez; August 26, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Trey Mitchell in the soap opera television series ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'' (2012–2013), Carlito Solano Jr. in the drama television series ''

Graceland Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, once owned by American singer Elvis Presley. Presley is buried there, as are his parents Vernon and Gladys, paternal grandmother Minnie Mae, grandson Benjamin, and daugh ...

'' (2014–2015) and Kyle Cushing in the superhero television series ''

Superman & Lois ''Superman & Lois'' is an American superhero drama television series developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Tyler Hoechlin and ...

'' (2021–2024).

Early life

Valdez was born Russell Erik Valdez in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

, on August 26, 1979, the son of Miguel and Karen Valdez. His father is of Spanish and Native American descent, while his mother is of English and Irish descent. His parents were second-generation cotton farmers and he grew up in a close-knit family.

Career

After completing theater throughout the years since high school, Valdez pursued an acting career in film and television and he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 2004. The same year, he made his acting debut as Chad in three episodes of ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...

''. He has made guest appearances television shows, including '' CSI: Miami'', '' 90210'', ''

Numbers A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The most basic examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

'' and ''

Mistresses Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

''. In 2012, Valdez played the recurring role of Trey Mitchell in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

soap opera television series ''

'', until 2013 for 99 episodes, which earned Valdez a nomination for an

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series. The award was given every year since the 1993 ceremony and later retired in 2015. Kristoff St. John holds the record for most win ...

. From 2014 to 2015, Valdez played the role of crime boss Carlito Solano Jr. in the drama television series ''

'' for 11 episodes. In 2016, he played the role of Lopez in the direct-to-video film '' Jarhead 3: The Siege''. The same year, he played an uncredited role of Officer Valducci in the drama film ''

Paint It Black "Paint It Black" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European influences and lyrics ...

''. In 2021, he portrayed the character Kyle Cushing in the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series ''

'', which premiered on

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

, featuring

Tyler Hoechlin Tyler Lee Hoechlin (; born September 11, 1987) is an American actor. He initially earned recognition for starring as Michael Sullivan Jr. in the 2002 film '' Road to Perdition''. In television, Hoechlin starred as Martin Brewer on '' 7th Heaven ...

and Elizabeth Tulloch.

Personal life

In 2015, Valdez proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Candice Lopez, a hostess for

Radio Disney Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programming ...

, and they married in 2016. Together, they have a son: Enzo Ray Valdez (b. 2018).

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Erik 1979 births American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American male video game actors 21st-century American male actors American male actors of Mexican descent American people of Spanish descent American people of English descent American people of Irish descent Male actors from Texas Actors from Lubbock, Texas Living people